Trieste 1
Trieste 1
Venice is a city of canals and lagoons and Trieste a busy city port on the Adriatic coast. The capital of the province Friuli- Venezia- Giulia, Trieste borders both Slovenia and Croatia and formerly held by the Austro Hungarian Empire until WW1 after which it returned to Italian control. The borders were not finally settled until 1954. It has mixed cultural heritage linguistically, architecturally and culinary . On arrival by train from Venice I was struck by its elegance and grace; its main square the Piazza dell’Unita facing the sea and majestic town hall decorated with stunning mosaics.
We are staying in a delightful small hotel, Hotel Albero Nascosto close to the centre, seafront and most sites so we navigated the city with ease during our first early morning walk.The deep intense blue morning sea and sky were dazzling and the ocean like glass as we made our way along the coast to the old port and lighthouse. There is the sense of prosperity with no visible signs of poverty and homelessness, excellent public transport and thriving public squares. Illy coffee originated here and it is a centre for coffee processing however unlike other Italian towns and cities , it is virtually impossible to buy one before 7am.
We are located in the vibrant old city, Città Vecchia, with its small street fruit and veg markets, artisan shops and theatres. Above old doorways one may discover stone head reliefs called “ panduri”, some quite fierce looking. The Panduri were Hungarian soldiers employed to guard the borders of the empire against the Turks. There are 150 of these heads in Trieste.
Trieste is a town of literature and art and was home for many years to James Joyce and a range of important Italian writers like Italo Svevo. A museum of literature is dedicated to the many writers, Italian, foreign and journalists who drew inspiration from the city. It is a small gem .
Bronze sculptures celebrating writers , artists and artisan workers adorn the city which celebrates its cultural heritage.
We spent the first day exploring the city on foot from the 1-2 AD Roman theatre , then climbing a steep path to the Cathedral of San Giusto, built on the site of a Roman Temple in the 14 C. The building is Romanesque in style with exquisite mosaic biblical representations above the altar and in the naves. Exterior stone relief decorations have been adapted from existing Roman statuary.
Roman theatre
Adjacent to the cathedral is the excavated Roman forum and climbing further, is the 15 C Castle of San Giusto, a fortification with magnificent views over Trieste’s harbour and Adriatic coast. It holds now an excellent museum depicting Roman life in the town and region.
Adriatic coast and the harbour from the castle.
After a day of exploration it was aperitivo time as is the custom in the late afternoon, and it was such a delight to sit outdoors and absorb the atmosphere. Fish restaurants are ubiquitous in Trieste and we were fortunate to find a space in quite a large and busy restaurant for dinner. My pasta dish brimming with mussels, prawns, octopus etc was heavenly, and perfectly matched with an excellent local white wine. Tired but content we reflected on our first day in this wonderful city.
Thanks Mary Ann; your blog is almost as good as being there!
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